Water-soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes via noncovalent sidewall-functionalization with a pyrene-carrying ammonium ion

In this communication, we describe the finding that sonication of solid single-walled carbon nanotubes (p-SWNT) in an aqueous solution of a pyrene-carrying ammonium ion 1 gave a transparent dispersion/solution of the nanotubes, which was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis absorption, fluorescence and ¹H NMR spectroscopies. We showed evidence for the interaction of the nanotube sidewall and the pyrene moiety in the aqueous dispersion/solution.